Circuit breaker



2v Sheets-Shet i July 10, 1934. T. A. SPERRY ET AL CIRCUIT BREAKER FiledNov. 29. 1932 July 10, 1934 I T. A. SPERRY ET AL 1,965,051

CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed Nov. 29. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Tlzioorc 15px/ry,Flcard .Spsfrfy' Patented July 10, 1934 UNITED STATES 1,966,051 CIRCUITBRE'AKEn T heodore A. Sperry and Richard C. Sperry, Indianapolis, Ind.,assignors to Electric Devices Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., acorporation of Indiana L Application November 29, 1932, Serial No.644,908 44 claims; '(ci. zoo-11e) Our invention relates in general todevices-for automatically and for optionally opening and Y controllingelectric circuits, and has for primary objects the provision of a devicewhich will function either automatically as a circuit breaker underimposition oi excessive current conditions, or manually as a switchunder normal current conditions; to provide automatic circuit breakingmeans in which the automatic action is entirely independent of themanually controlling means; to provide circuit breaking means in whichthe circuit breaking contacts are mechanically and positively forced toopen circuit position when the device is subjected to excessive orabnormal current conditions; to provide a circuit breaker in which 'thecircuit breaking means for overload and short-circuit current conditionsare independent of and separate from the normal circuit breaking means;to provide means within a circuit breaker for automatically andinstantly opening the circuit breaking contactsk in case oi failure ofthe normal operating means of said breaker; to provide circuit openingmeans the sole function of which is to open the current contact in caseof overload or short-circuit conditions within the breaker; to provide acircuit breaker having a dual, independently operated control system; toprovide means within a circuit breaker to automatically shield andprotect the main current carrying contacts from arcing and destructiveiniiuences during the making and the breaking of the current throughsaid contacts; to provide overload operating means which willautomatically open the current contacts before the manual operatinghandle starts to move towards its olf position; to provide means wherebythe current contacts -will open with a wider opening or gap whenoperated under overload or automatic conditions than when they aremanually operated; to provide a vcircuit breaker which will open thecontacts more quickly under overload conditions than under manualoperation; to provide an automatic circuitbreaker in which the currentresponsive means is protected and shielded from manual manipulation orfrom accidental injury; to provide supplementary means for shielding andprotecting the current responsive element from destruction or injury dueto excessive or abnormal current conditions within thev element; and toprovide a breaker of simple, ,rugged construction with easymanufacturing means and installation facilities.

With these and other objectsin view. the invention will be moreadequately comprehended by reference to the accompanying drawings,illustrating a preferred form of the construction, and in which Figure 1shows a side elevation of the breaker in closed position, a portion ofthe cover being removed; Figure 2 is a side elevation, in sectionapproximately on line 2--2 of Figure 4, the breaker being shown in opencircuit position; Figure 3 is a fragmentary end elevation approximatelyon line 3-3 of Figure 1; Figure 4 is an end elevation on line 4--4 ofAFigure 2; Figure 5 is a'n elevation similar to Figure 3, the breakerbeing shown after automatic operation with the handle restrained fromreturning to normal position; Figure 6 is a plan view of a dual unit,one breaker being shown in section on line 6--6 of Figure 4, and theother being removed from the base; Figure 7 is a diagrammatic elevationshowing the operating parts superimposed in the three positions ofFigures 1, 2 and 5; Figure 8 is a side and front elevation of the toggleyoke; Figure 9 is a plan and side elevation of an assembled thermalelement and associated parts showing a modified form of the trip catch;Figure 10 is a plan and side elevation of the breaker housing; Figure 11is a plan, side and end elevation of the automatic release lever; andFigure 12 is a plan and side elevation of the trip lever for the device.It is, of course, understood and manifest lthat these views and vthisconstruction are subject to modiiication in form and arrangey ment tocover such forms and constructions as logically come. within the scopeof this specification and its appended claims.

With continued reference to the drawings, in which like numerals referto like parts throughout, the numeral 1 indicates a base of insulatingmaterial, carrying an entrance electric conductor 2 which holds anembedded carbon contact 3 and ls provided with a contact wing 4 and aplurality of contact buttons 5. A recess 6,'having a cross slot '7 and abridge 8, is formed in the base 1 to receive the thermal element 9 onwhich is fixedly mounted a trip catch 10 which is insulated therefrom,as by the insulation 11, said catch being provided with a strikeprojection 12, which projection may have a truss brace, as at 89, and atrip` lever stop 90, if desired. A pair of conductor bars 13 and 14 aresecured within the base recess,

one of which contacts with each extremity of the thermal element 9.Terminal screws 15 are provided to contact with the cin-rent connectors,andv 'a screw 17 secures one end of a flexible conductor 16 to theconductor 14, the opposite end of said flexible conductor being securedto the movable contact arms 53. A formed groove 20 in the base lcommunicates with the recess 6, and4 carries an electric shunt member19, the extremities of which are secured, as by rivets 18, to the fixedextremities of the U -shaped bimetallic element 49. AA center rib 21 isprovided to partially separate the two breakers on the twin base, theseribs being provided with threaded inserts 22 to receive screws 31 whichsecure the cover 30 to the base 1, holes 23 serving for screws by whichthe breakers may be mounted within their oper- 'Gil ating cabinet,'andcorner bosses 24 being provided to partially shield the terminal screws15.

A housing is secured upon the base 1, as by screws 28, and an insulatingsheet 29 is provided to separate said housing from possible contact withsaid base members, said housing having a plurality of formed pivots 26and also of formed stop members 27 to engage the release lever 44 andhandle member 36 respectively. The cover 39 is provided with a pluralityof openings 32 to receive the handle knobs 37, and also with breatherslots 33 to provide expansion and escape room for burnt gases and heatcaused by the arcing of the `current when broken. Suitable slots 35v areformed within the cover to secure a partition 34 between the breakerswhen mounted on a single base. The knob 37 is provided with lateralwings 38 to continually close the openings 32, and plural strikes 39 areformed integrally with the handle 36 to engage the housing stops 27. Arieye 41 is formed on the handle 36 to carry one extremity of a mainoperating spring 42, and a plurality of lateral wings 40 are provided tocontact with formed cam strikes 51 on the release lever 44, said handleand said release lever being pivoted upon said housing, as at 43 and 45respectively 43 and 45 indicating openings for the pivot pins at 43 and45 respectively. The side bars 47 of the lever 44 are interconnected bya cross bar 48, and carry a fixed trip pin 46 at their outerextremities, and each side bar carries spaced pivots 49 and wings 50,and also stop strikes 52 to engage and co-act with a toggle yoke member65.

The moveable contact arm 53 consists essentially of a plurality ofspring arms or leaves 54 carrying a carbon contact 55 within a holder56, and a plural iingered arm 57 provided with con- 'tact buttons 58 tocontact with the buttons 5 on the wing 4. These leaves are preferablymounted upon a toggle plate 59 pivotally mounted on a cross shaft 60supported in the housing 25, said shaft preferably carrying asupplementary spring 61, one end of which engages a stop 62 integralwith the housing 25, and the opposite end rests upon the toggle plate59. Toggle links 63 are pivotally secured to the toggle plate 59, as byrivets 64, and to the toggle yoke 65, as by rivets 66 through the pivotopenings 66. The side bars of the yoke are inter-connected by a crossbar 67 formed for a seat for one end of the operating spring 42, andcarry formed cam faces 68 to coact with the strikes 52 on the lever 44.The side bars of yoke 65 each carry -a pivotal seat 69 to engage withthe pivot 49 on lever 44 and a pivotal seat 71 to engage with pivot 26on housing 25, the pivotal seat 69 being made dual in form to provide asupplementary seat 70 to receive the pivot 49 when in overload releasedposition, a center wing 72 existing between the seats 70 and 71 toengage the wings 50 on lever 44, a plurality of yoke horns 73 insuringcorrect realignment of seats and pivots during operation movements.

Pivotally mounted in the housing 25 is an adjusting bracket 76, securedas by rivets 77, having a cross member 78 and an arcuately slotted wing79, with a clamp screw 80 to secure said bracket in adjusted position,said bracket carrying a cross shaft 75 to pivotally support a trip lever74. Lever 74 consists essentially of a depending member 93 having anarcuately formed extremity 83 and a strike 82 to engage the projection12 on element 9, and an uwpardlg7 projecting member 35 carrying a formedslot 86 to co-act with the trip pin 46 on lever 44, said slot beingformed with a resetting cam face 87 having a relatively steep angle ofengagement with the line of movement of said pin 46, and a retaining camface 88 having a relatively iiat angle of engagement with said line ofmovement of said pin, a pair of lateral wings 81 serving to maintainsaid trip in proper alignment, and a spring 84 maintaining said trip inreengagement position when released from said trip strike. 91 indicatesa carbon holder rivet, and 92 shows an opening in the bottom of housing25.

It will be observed that the present application is more or less closelyrelated to the pending application of rEheodore A. Sperry, Serial No.582,716, iiled December 23, 1931, and is to be construed in connectionwith the said application. In operation, the current enters throughconductor 2 and passes through the contacts 5-58 or through the carbons3-55, through the spring arms 53, flexible cable 16, conductor 14,thermal element 9, conductor 13, and out through terminal screw 15. Withthe contacts .in closed position, a manual movement of the knob 37 inclockwise rotation will carry the upper end of spring 42 to the right,past the plane of the pivots 43 when the contractive stress of spring 42combined with the eifect of the flexed arm 54 and spring 61 will causethe cross bar 67 of yoke 65 to swing to the right, and move the arm 53to open circuit position with a snap action. It will be noted that inthis action the release lever 44 remains stationary, and that the toggleyoke 65 swings pivotally on shoulders 49 in engagement with the seats69, and that the seat 71 rotates arcuately away from its pivot shoulder26. A reverse motion of the handle 36 carries the upper end of spring 42to the left, causing said spring to swing the yoke 65 to theleft on thesame pivots 69 and 49, closing the contacts with a snap action. In caseof an excessive rush of current through the breaker the current heatsthe thermal element 9, and by reason of its bimetallic character causesthe element to deect downwardly and draw the catch 12 away from thestrike 82 releasing the trip lever 74 to permit the pin 46 to escapefrom the slot 86. The release lever 44 is now free to rotate about itspivots 45 and the stress of spring 42 is instantly shifted from the seat69 and pivot 49 to the seat 71 and the stationary pivot 26 on thehousing 25. This pivot and seat are positioned on the opposite side ofthe line of stress of the spring 42 from pivot 49 and seat 69, and areclosely adjacent the pivot point 45 of lever 44, so that the stress ofsaid spring tends to instantly swing the yoke 65 pivotally about itspivot seat 7l and the housing pivot 26, whether the handle 36 berestrained from rotative action or not, causing the yoke seat 69co-acting with its pivot 49, to carry the lever 44 rotatively upward, asshown in Figure 5, and opening the contact member 53 with a rapid snapaction. It should also be noted that the cross bar 48 of lever 44 servesas a stop for the opening movement of the contact arm 53, and as thelever 44 rotates toward its fully released position 44 the cross bar 48rotates toward the position 48' in essential parallelism to the openposition 54 of the contact arm 53, thus allowing the contact arm and itsattached contact members 55 and 58 to move further, or to open with awider gap, than when the cross bar 48 is in normal position, as shown inFigures 5 and 7. As the spring 42 stresses the handle 36 and knob 37 toclock-wise rotation the wings 4 0 contact with cam faces 5l returnlitselevated position 49 to its normal position,

and to move the yoke member 65 in an essentially longitudinal motion, asshown by the superimposed positions 67 and 67 of the cross bar 67, and63" and 63' of link 63 in Figuref7. This action also carries the pivotseat 71 'from its contact with pivot 26 to the position 71 free fromsaid pivot, and carries the locating horns from the position 73" toposition 73', and the pin 46, engaging the steep-angledv face 87 of theslot 86, caused the trip strike y'82 to rotate arcuately intore-engagement with the catch 12. It should also be observed that thepressure of pin 46 on cam face 87 maintains the strike 82 free andseparated from the projection l2 while the breaker is in open circuitposition, so that no pressure exists on the element y9v except while thedevice is in closed or operative position. These resetting actions areall' automatic when the breaker is free to act normally, a single motionof the knob 37 only being required to reset the breaker after operation.

The strike or stop 52 which limits the contact closing movement of theyoke 65 is formed integrally with the lever 44, said strike normallyengaging said yoke adjacent the foot of the cam face 68. As the lever 44rotates under overload release action this strike rotates therewithtoward the position 52', and co-acting with the cam 'face 68 positivelyand mechanically forces the collapsing of the toggle knee. The functionof the auxiliary spring 6l is to constantly stress the contact membersand toggle members toward their open circuit positions, as indicated at54 and 59', so that in case of failure or rupture of the main spring 42the contacts will be forced to inoperative position and renderedinoperative until the device is restored to operative condition. Thisspring also assists in hastening the normal opening of the contacts, asdoes also the flexing of the flexible arms 54 themselves. The togglelinks are prevented from assuming a completely rectilinear position whenclosed, by the stop 52, being maintained in closed position by thestress of spring 42 on the projected extremity of the yoke 65, as at 67,the spaced pivot seats 69 and 7l forming a broad supporting base whichprevents any accidental dislodgement of the yoke 65 when in closedcircuit position. The shunt member 19 is of a high resistance materialand of relatively small dimension, so that for normal current conditionsthe passage of current therethrough is of very negligible quantity, butin case of extreme short circuit or heavy overload conditions arelatively large portion of the rush of current will be 'by-passed orshunted through this member and so save the thermal element 9 fromdestructive heating, distortion and destruction.

It should be observed that themain operating spring is not of theovercenter type in its action, as it travels from any one position toany other position in its operative scope with its central axis inessential parallelism, and in its association with its afiiliatedtoggles, in no case does either extremity of the spring meet or passbeyond the critical plane of the, toggle linkage during either themanual or the automatic opening movements of the breaker. This action isdue to the fact that the toggle links do not come into rectilinearalignment, and .that the flexing of the contact arm, when in closedcircuit position, produces a stress upon the toggle linkage, whichstress is augmented by the ,action of' spring 61, suificient to flex thetoggle knee joint 66 before the central axis of the spring 42 reachesthe critical plane of the toggle to flex the said joint,

thus causing the lower end of spring 42 to swing outward before the axisof said spring reaches the central plane of said toggle.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new is:-

1. In a circuit breaker having a stationary and a moveable contactmember, means for automatically opening said contact members underexcess current conditions by a multiple linkage pivoting on the frame ofsaid breaker and coacting with an arcuately moveable stop means topermit a wider gap when operated on 4overload and short circuitconditions than when operated manually under normal current conditions.

2. A combined circuit breaker and switch having stationary and moveablecontacts, a pressure increasing linkage supported upon the stationaryframe of said breaker during overload operation, said linkage combiningwith a moveable stop member for the moveable contact which will permitthe contacts to open to a greater degree when operated automatically asa circuit breaker on overload and short circuit conditions than whenoperated manually as a switch.

3. A unified electric switch and circuit breaker having a stationarycontact and a moveable contact, an operating linkage supported on astationary pivot and a releasably shiftable stop operated by saidlinkage by'means of which said contacts are more quickly and positivelyopened when operated automatically under abnormal current conditionsthan when operated manually upon normal vcurrent conditions.

4. A combined switch and circuit breaker having stationary and moveablecircuit closing contacts in which said moveable contact member ismaintained in closed circuit position by a linkage member supported on astationary pivot and a current releasable pivot whereby said contactsare opened more quickly and positively and with a greater degree ofseparation when opened automatically upon abnormal conditions of currentthan when said contacts are opened manually as a switch upon normalcurrent conditions.

5. In a combination circuit breaker and switch having'stationarycontacts and moveable con-l tacts, manually operated means for openingand closing said contacts and thermally operated meansfor automaticallyopening said contacts, atoggle linkage to actuate a. release levercarryinga moveable stop for said moveable contactto permit saidthermally controlled means to open said contacts to a greater degreethan said manually operated means.

6. A circuit breaker having separable current carrying members andoperative means for separating said members, and having stressing meansthe sole function of which is to open said current carrying members onoverload and short-circuit conditions, said stressing means beingindependent oi' manual control and of the operative means for openingand closing said members, and opening said members more vquickly andwith a wider gap than when said members are opened by manual means.

7.',An electric switch and circuit breaker having a pivoted handle, anoperative spring carried between said handle and an yoperative member,

A said spring moving bodily with its operative member engaging extremityconstantly in advance of its handle engaging extremity as said handlemoves arcuately to operate the contact members of said breaker fromclosed to open circuit positions.

A switch and circuit breaker in which the main operating spring ispivotally attached to an arcuately moveable handle and to a moveabletoggle member, said spring moving laterally with v its toggle engagingend continually in advance of its handle engaging end during openingmovement and continually trailing said handle engaging end duringclosing movement of said breaker contacts as said breaker is operatedbetween open and closed circuit positions, either under automaticoverload operation or under manual operation.

9. A circuit breaker having a moveable contact carrying arm, a multiplelink toggle operatively engaging said arm, a cam face integrally formedon one link of said toggle, a thermally releasable element having a stopmember to engage said cam face, said stop cooperating and contactingwith said cam face throughout the circuit opening movement of said.toggle to force said toggle linkage into collapsed position on arcuatemovement of said releasable element to move said contact carrying arm toopen circuit position.

l0. .#1 circuit breaker having a stationary and a moveable contact, aflexible arm carrying said moveable contact, a multiple link togglepivotally engaging said flexible arm, dual cam members rigid with onelink of said toggle, cam engaging stops carried on a current releasableframe pivotally mounted in spaced relation to said toggle, said stopspreventing the links of said toggle from assuming a rectilinear positionand coacting with said cam members to force the collapse of said togglelinks and the consequent moving of said contact member to open circuitposition upon the movement o said current releasable frame.

1i. in a circuit breaker having a multiple link toggle for the operationof the current carrying contact arm of said breaker, a pivotally mountedlink member in said toggle which has a plurality of pivot seats at oneend oi said link, said seats engaging pivots spaced apart in saidbreaker mechanism.

l2. In a toggle linkage :tor a current controlling mechanism, aplurality of spaced pivot seats in one extremity of one link of saidtoggle, said link being pivotally operable in said mechanism on eitherseat o said link depending on the mode of operation of said currentcontrolling mechanism.

13. 'in an electric switch mechanism having a moveable contact armcontrolled by a multiple link toggle, means incorporated in one link ofsaid toggle by which said link may swing arcuately on one pivot point insaid link upon manual operation of said switch, and upon a second pivotpoint in spaced relation thereto upon the automatic operation oi saidmechanism.

14. .in a combined switch and circuit breaker having a moveable contactmember operated by meansoi a toggle linkage, one link of said togglebeing provided with a pivot seat on which said link oscillates when saiddevice is operated as a switch and a second pivot seat upon which saidlink oscillates when said device is operated as a circuit breaker, theshift from one pivot point to the other being automatic in action.

l5. A switch and circuit breaker having a housing carrying a xedpivotpoint and a pivotally mounted release lever, a rigid pivot point on saidrelease lever, a toggle link having a plurality of pivot seats in oneend thereof, one of said seats registering with said fixed pivot pointand the other of said seats registering with said release lever pivotpoint, said link oscillating on said release lever pivot when the deviceis operated as a switch, and on said housing pivot when the deviceoperates automatically as a circuit breaker.

16. A circuit breaker having a housing mounted upon a base, a pluralityof fixed pivot wings adjacent one end of said housing, a hingedlymounted member carrying a plurality of integral pivot wings within saidhousing, a thermally operable element positioned within said base, atrip coacting with said element to maintain said hingedly mounted memberin operative position, means for releasing said trip, a circuit openingarm pivoted in said housing, a multiple link toggle engaging said arm,an end link in said rtoggle having plural pivot seats, one of said seatsengaging the fixed pivot wings of said housing and the other of saidseats engaging the integral pivot wings of said hingedly mounted member,said link oscillating on said last mentioned pivot when said hingedmember is retained in operative position, and said link oscillating onsaid housing wings when said hinged member is released by said thermalelement.

17. A circuit breaker having an arcuately moveable handle carrying ahelical operating spring, a housing supporting said handle, said housinghaving a plurality of stationary pivot airns adjacent said handle, aframe pivoted in said housing, said frame carrying a plurality of pivotarms in spaced relation to said housing pivot arms, a swinging yokepivotally engaging said housing pivot arms at one point andsimultaneously engaging said frame pivot arms at another point, andmeans for releasing said frame pivot arms to allow rotation of said yokeabout said housing pivot arms under stress of said helical spring.

18. A circuit breaker having stationary and moveable current carryingcontacts, a housing with parallel side walls, inwardly projecting earsrigid with said side walls, a toggle link pivotally engaging said ears,means for moving said link longitudinally and arcuately away fromcontact with said ears, said means comprising a plurality ofsupplementary ears carried on a hingedly mounted frame supported in saidhousing and pivotally engaging said link at a second pivot point inspaced relation to said rst mentioned pivot point, said link swinging onsaid supplementary ears when the breaker is operated manually and onsaid housing ears when operated automatically on overload.

19. A circuit breaker having an arcuately move able handle carrying ahelical operating spring, a housing to support said handle, said housinghaving a plurality of lXed pivot bearings thereon, a releasable leverpivotally mounted on said housing, a plurality of pivot bearingsintegral with said lever, current controlled means for releasing saidlever, the line of stress of said helical spring, when the breaker is inclosed circuit position, being between said housing pivot bearings andsaid lever pivot bearings, a toggle linkage member one end of whichpivotally engages said helical spring and the opposite end of which isprovided with plural seats one pair or' which may engage the housingpivot bearings while the other pair of seats engage the lever pivotbearings, the toggle member pivoting on the lever pivot bearings if thehandle is manually moved arcuately and on the housing pivot bearingswhen said lever is released automatically on overload conditions of thecurrent through said breaker.

` lever pivotally mounted on said housing, a toggle linkage coactingwith said lever to actuate said contact arm, a trip lever mounted insaid housing,

'one end of said trip lever engaging and coacting with a currentoperated thermal element to retain said releasable lever inoperativeposition, the other end of said trip lever being provided with a. camslot to engage land coact with a latch pin secured in said releasablelever, said slot having one edge of relatively steep angularity toengage said pin on the resetting action of said releasable lever toeasily reset said trip lever: into re-engagement with said thermalelement after release therefrom, and having the opposite edge of saidslot of relatively low angularity to reduce the pressure of said trip`lever arcuately against said thermal element to a desired minimum whenin operative position, a plurality of lateral wings being provided onsaid trip lever to maintain it in aligned position, a spring on the triplever shaft and a stop on the thermal element catch serving to limit andcontrol the angular movement of said trip lever.

21. In a circuit breaker having a flexing thermal control element toautomatically release the Contact opening members under overload andshort-circuit conditions of the electric current, a trip catch mountedon said thermal element adjacent its center point but insulatedtherefrom, a trip engaging projection integral therewith, a truss bracesupporting said projection, and a projecting trip stop member to limitthe motion of the trip when released from its engaging projection by theflexing of said thermal element under extreme current conditions.

22. In an automatic electric' circuit breaker having mechanism foropening the circuit contacts, a current responsive member carrying afixed projection to contact with the trip lever of said breaker, saidprojection being insulated from said current responsive member, aninclined brace to rigidly support the outer extremity of said projectionagainst a portion of said current responsive member, and a secondprojection in spaced relation to said fixed projection to engage andlimit the travel of said trip lever when released from said fixedprojection.

23. In an automatic circuit breaker having a current breaking mechanism,a thermostatically flexing member in electric series with the currentcarrying members of said breaker, an arcuately moveable trip leverpivotally mounted in said breaker, a depending leg terminating in anarcuate sector with its center at the pivot point of said trip lever toform a strike to releasably engage a catch rigidly mounted upon'saidflexing member, said arcuate sector preventing said flexing member fromreturning to normal voperative position after -flexing until said triplever shall h..ve returned to reset position, automatic means formaintaining said trip lever in released position in relation to saidcatch, and means for returning said lever automatically beyond resetposition and for-maintaining an open gap between said trip lever andsaid catch when the,

operating handle of said breaker is moved to its open circuit position,said trip lever being simultaneously stressed toward contact with saidcatch.

24. In an electric circuit breaking device having stationary andmoveable current contacts, means for opening and closingsald contacts, atrip lever to automatically release said opening means on abnormalcurrent conditions, a thermally exible current carrying element tonormally engage said, trip lever, an arcuate sector formed on said triplever to maintain said ilexible element in flexed condition after therelease vof said trip lever until said trip lever shall be returned tonormal reset position, an arcuately adjustable bracket to position saidtrip lever in calibrated relation to said flexible element, meansforsecuring said bracket in adjusted position, and a cam slot in thebreaker mechanism engaging end of said trip lever, said slot having aresetting face angularly positioned to the principal plane of said triplever and an operative face at a different angular-position to saidprincipal plane.

25. An electric circuit breaker having automatic means for opening thecircuit on abnormal current conditions, a trip engaging pin carried bysaid automatic means, a trip member carried upon an adjustable bracket,means for securing said bracket in adjusted position, a cam slot havingdual cam faces formed in said4 trip member, said pin coacting with saidslot cam faces to normally maintain said automatic means in operativeposition, to release said automatic means under abnormal currentconditions, andto reset said trip lever in operative position uponreturn of said automatic meansI to operative position, a thermallyoperable element in spaced relation to said trip lever, a catch fixedupon said thermal element to engage said trip leverfone of said slot camfaces being positioned at an angle to easily reposition said trip leverin relation to said catch after release therefrom and to maintain saidtrip lever free from and in spaced relation to said catch when saidbreaker is in normal open circuit position, and. the other of said slotcam faces being positioned at an angle to reduce the pressure of saidtrip lever on said catch and said thermal element to a minimum when saidcircuit breaker is in normal operative position.

26. An automatic circuit breaker in combination with an electric switchhaving an operating handle pivotally mounted on a housing, an overarmpivotally mounted on said housing, a swinging yoke forming one link of amultiple link toggle pivotally and independently mounted on said overarmand on saidV housing, a helical spring pivotally engaging andconnectingsaid handle and said yoke, a toggle link connecting said yokeand a plurality of flexible contact arms, a trip lever releasablyengaging said overarm, an overload operable element releasably engagingsaid trip lever, means for passing an electric current `load elementcausing said contact arms to open with a snap action regardless ofmovement of said operating handle, said helical spring automaticallyrepositioning said handle, said overarm and said trip lever in opencircuit position after automatic overload operation of said device whensaid handle is left free of manual restraint.

27. A circuit breaker and switch having a housing and a. releasableoverarrn pivotally mounted thereon, a swinging yoke forming one link ofa multiple link toggle to actuate the circuit breaking contacts, ahelical spring engaging said yoke said swinging yoke link pivotallyengaging sain overarm at a point on one side of the central plane ofsaid helical spring, and pivotally engaging said housing at a point onthe opposite side of said central plane, said yoke swinging on saidoverarm pivot point when said device is operated manually as a switch,and swinging on said housing pivot point when said device operatesautomatically as a circuit breaker, the change from one pivot point tothe other pivot point being automatic in operation.

2S. A circuit breaker having a housing, an overarm pivotally mounted onsaid housing, a helical spring operatively engaging a toggle yoke, inwhich the toggle yoke, forming one link of the multiple link toggle,extends beyond the knee joint of said toggle, to form a projected seatfor one end of said helical spring, a stop wing rigid with said overarmin spaced relation with said overarm mounting pivot to engage said yokeadjacent the knee joint of said toggle to prevent the links oi' saidtoggle from assuming a rectilinear position at any portion of theoperating movements of said toggle, said helical spring acting on saidprojected seat as a leverage to prevent the collapse oi said togglelinkage when in operative position until one of said yoke pivot pointsis released by the operation of said mechanism.

29. A circuit breaker having a housing, a manually operable handle and areleasable overarm pivotally mounted in spaced relation on said housing,and a helical spring engaging a multiple link toggle to operate aplurality of current carrying contacts, in which the upper link of themultiple link toggle of said breaker is provided with a pluralityoflateral extensions, said extensions each carrying a plurality of spacedpivot seats forming a broadened base on which said link rests in stablerepose under the stress of said helical spring when in normal closedcircuit position, one set of said pivot seats coacting with plural pivotwings rigid with said housing adjacent said overarm pivots, said pivotseats moving away from and toward said pivot wings when said device'isoperated to open and to closed circuit positions respectively as aswitch, and the other set oi said pivot seats coacting with plural pivotwings integral with said overarm and positioned on the opposite side ofthe central plane of said helical spring from said housing pivot wingswhen in normal operative position, said overarm pivot wings and saidoverarm being forced arcuately upward when said device is operated as acircuit breaker, the stress of said helical spring being automaticallyimposed upon said housing pivot wings to produce arcuate rotation o saidtoggle link to open the circuit breaker contacts with a snap action whensaid overarm is released by said trip lever under abnormal currentconditions, and means to return said parts automatically to normal opencircuit position after said automatic overload release, and a pluralityof formed projections rigid with said toggle upper link to preserve saidlink in aligned position and to insure positive reseating oi said pivotseats upon said pivot wings after movement therefrom, a single arcuatemovement only of said manually operable handle being required to resetsaid breaker in closed circuit position after such overload release andaction.

30. In a circuit breaker the combination with a base of insulatingmaterial, a housing, 'a pivotally mounted releasable arm, an operatingspring, a releasing trip member, and an operating linkage, said linkagebeing pivotally mounted for automatically selective rotationon pluralpivot points on said housing and on said releasable arm, or" anelectro-responsive exing element secured incensi wholly within a recessin the base oi said breaker, the housing fixedly mounted upon said baseto insulatedly cover said recess, said base and said housing insulationentirely surrounding said element and rendering it inaccessible fromwithout said recess, an insulated catch rigid with said flexible elementprojecting through an opening in said housing to engage a trip member torelease the contact opening mechanism of said breaker on abnormalcurrent conditions, and automatic means to re-engage said trip member inoperative conjunction with said insulated catch after automaticoperation of said breaker.

3l. In a circuit breaker the combination with a base, a housing, anoperating main spring, a plurality of circuit breaking contacts, areleasable lever arm, and a releasing trip member, of a circuit openingmeans consisting of an operative linkage for said contacts, said linkageoperating pivotally on one pivot center when manually operated, and on aseparate pivot center when operated automatically, and an auxiliaryspring in operative contact with said current opening means, said springconstantly stressing the circuit breaking contacts of said breaker toopen circuit position and assisting the main operating spring to opensaid contacts in a minimum of time, said spring automatically andindependently opening the current contacts in case of failure or ruptureof said main spring, and rendering said circuit breaker furtherinoperative and non-closable untilv said main operating spring shallhave been again put into operative and normal condition.

32. A combination of circuit breaker and switch having a housing mountedon a base, an operating handle and a releasable overarm pivotallymounted on said housing, a toggle linkage provided with a swinging link,a helical spring engaging said link, said overarm carrying a pluralityof cam faced projections to operatively engage a plurality of xed wingson said operating handle when said overarm is releasably moved underabnormal current conditions, said wings under stress from said helicalspring causing said overarm to return to normal operative position, whensaid operating handle is moved, either manually or automatically, to itsopen circuitl position, a plurality of fixed pivots on said housing anda plurality of pivots integral with said overarm to independently andsimultaneously engage a plurality of pivot seats on the swinging link ofsaid toggle linkage, means for constantly and variably positioning saidswinging link in relation to said pivot points, said link beingoperatively rotatable on either said housing pivots or said overarmpivots, and means connected with said overarm to operatively move saidswinging link, when in collapsed position, bodily in a longitudinalmovement to normal reset position, and longitudinally separating saidhousing pivot engaging seats away from and into spaced relation to saidhousing pivots automatically while said handle is moving to its opencircuit position.

33. In a contact breaking mechanism, a frame member, a pivotallysupported releasable member, a manually operable operator, and amultiple link pivotally connected structure pivotally anchored at oneend to the frame member and pivotally supported at its opposite endjointly by said frame member and said releasable member for selectivepivotal movement of said linkage construction.

34. 1n a breaker mechanism having a plurality of separable contacts, afixed frame, a releasable member pivotally anchored upon said framemember, a manually operable member, and a multiple link structurepivoted at one end upon said frame member and pivotally engaged at itsopposite end jointly by said frame member and said releasable member forselective pivotal movement of said linkage upon said frame member orupon said releasable member, and a coil spring having its axispositionable between the selective pivotal points of said linkage onsaid frame and said releasable member, said spring operatively engagingsaid manually operable member and one link of saidlinkage structure, toselectively open or close said separable contacts', and to automaticallyopen said contacts under predetermined conditions.

35. In a toggle linkage for a current interruptor, a plurality of spacedpivot seats in one link oi said toggle linkage, a plurality of spacedpivots to co-act with said pivot seats, said link being moveablyoperable on either of said pivots, one of said pivot seats alternatelyreceding away from and returning to its co-acting pivot as said linkfunctions upon its other pivot seat.

36. In a toggle linkage'of the type described in claim 35, a moveablestop to engage and to limit the movement of said toggle linkage, saidlinkage travel being limited by said moveable stop.

37. In a toggle linkage of the typefdescribed in claim 35, the spacedpivots for said linkage being secured upon two separate frame members,said linkage being independently supported thereby upon said twoseparate frame members, one of which frame members may be pivotallysupported upon the other of said frame members.

38. In a mechanism of the type described in claim 35 having a fixed anda moveable contact, a flexible actuating arm for said moveable contact,said arm being actuated by said toggle linkage, said flexible armforming a checking and cushioning member to modify the impact of saidtoggle linkage upon said spaced pivots and said moveable stops when saidlinkage is moved to operative position.

39. In a circuit breaker the combination with an insulating'base, ahousing pivotally supporting a releasable carriage, and an operatinghandle, a trip lever for said carriage, an actuating spring, a togglelinkage selectively operable on two independently functioning pivotpositions, and an electrical overload responsive member responsive toabnormal conditions ofthe current passing through said circuit breaker,said overload responsive member being positioned within and entirelysurrounded by the base of said breaker and physically protected thereby,and a shunt member of high resistance and proportioned capacity, acrossthe terminals of said overload responsive member said shunt beingembedded within and protected by said base, to protect said overloadresponsive member from injury or destruction due toI action of abnormalconditions of current within said overload responsive member.

40. In an electric circuit breaker having a frame, an operating handle,an operating spring, a moveable contact and a toggle linkage connectedtherewith, a currentactuated releasing member, a trip leverlengagingsaid releasing member, a moveable frame normally restrained by said triplever, said trip lever being biased by said trame toward engagement withsaid current actuated member when said breaker is in operative position,and independent means for biasing said trip lever to open circuitposition to release said moveable frame instantly on abnormal currentconditions within said breaker.

4l. A circuit breaker having a releasable arm pivotally mounted within aframe, means stressing said arm to open circuit position when saidbreaker is in operative position, a latch normally restraining saidrcleasable arm, a current actuated member Iiieiiibly engaging saidlatch, a circuit closing contact operably connected with said releasablearm, said latch being independently biased tc open circuit position andautomatically and independentiy releasing said releasable arm andcircuit closing contact 'upon the iiexing of said et ct actuated member,the independent biasm said latch automatically preventing the fujirepositioning of said current actuated member until said. latch is fullyrepositioned by said releasable arm.

42. Al circuitbreaker having a stationary and a moveable contact, a:flexible arm carrying said moveable contact, a multiple link toggle 'tooperate said exible arm, moveable stops carried by a current releasablefra-me to prevent the links of said toggle from assuming a rectilinearalignment and to force the collapse oi said toggle upon movement of saidreleasable frame, a thermally actuable element to release saidreleasable frame upon abnormal current conditions within said breaker, abypass of high electrical resistance secured in parallel with saidthermal element, current conductors jointly engaging said thermaielement and said bypass, and means for iiexing said toggle independentlyoi said releasable frame and said moveable stops.

43. An electric device having a housing mount- 110 ed upon an insulatingbase, fixed pivot wings adjacent one end of said housing, a swingingtrarne carrying integral pivot wings within said housing, a currentresponsive element within said base, a shunt lmember of high electricalresistance across the terminals of said current responsive element, atrip co-acting with current responsive element to maintain said swingingframe 'in operative position, a circuit opening arm pivoted in saidhousing, a toggle linkage to engage said arm, a link of said togglehaving plural pivot seats to engage said housing pivot wings and saidswinging frame pivot wings, said link oscillating on said last mentionedpivot wing when said device is manually operated, and oscillating onsaid housing pivot wings when said swinging frame is releasedby'actuation f said current responsive element.

44.' A circuit breaker having a base of insulating material, astationary contact secured in said base, a moveable contact actuated bya multiple link toggle, a plurality of current conductors positionedwithin said base, a thermally actuated element interconnecting saidconductors at the extremity thereof, a shunt member of high elec-'trical resistance in parallel with said thermal element, a manuallyoperable handle pivotally mounted in relation to said thermal element,an operative spring interconnecting said handle and said toggle so thatsaid spring moves laterally with RICHARD C. SPERRY. l

will'

